Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics—the road to Paris—takes center stage in conjunction with the 2024 Lemon Festival! Hosted by Menton, a pastel-colored town on the Côte d’Azur close to the Italian border, is best known for luring vacationers looking for palm-lined beaches and posh restaurants in the ‘Pearl of the French Riviera.’ This year the town is also the host city for this year’s Olympics!

In its 90th year, Olympia and its athletes are honored at the Menton Lemon Festival, also known as Fête du Citron. A unique festival in the hues of seasonal lemons and oranges with an Olympic theme, in honor of Paris hosting the Olympics, is just the kind of tangy celebratory precursor we all need. Want to get your shot of much needed Vitamin C? You know where to head to.

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Seven citrus designs are set out in the gardens’ open area. This year, the festival’s devoted mascot, John Lemon, and ten floats showcasing Olympians will wind their way along the waterfront streets. According to town council technical director Christophe Ghiena, the vibrant masterpieces are made of 140 tons of citrus fruit, with approximately 500,000 lemons and oranges carefully stacked on top of one another, reported ITV.

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Approximately 240,000 people visit the city to see the exquisite fruit sculptures at the Fête du Citron, some of which are ten meters tall. Ghiena said, “It’s 3,000 hours of fruit handling over two weeks since we have to be very quick to ensure that the fruit remains in the best possible condition during the two-week festival.” 

For more than fifteen days, the French provide visitors with the opportunity to enjoy the Corsos of golden fruits, the vibrant Night Parades (parades of floats made of citrus fruits and led by groups), the free and open-access Citrus Pattern Exhibition in the Biovès Gardens, and the Craft Fair with its entrancing aromas all hold considerable sway over the hordes. The floats parade among bands of colorfully costumed performers as the streets come to life from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Sundays, February 18, 25, and March 3, on the Promenade du Soleil. What led to this annual profusion of tastes and colors, though?

History of Fête du Citron

In 1928, Menton was said to be the top lemon-producing location in Europe. Hôtel Riviera chose to celebrate by showcasing flowers and citrus fruits on their hotel’s grounds. After a monumental success, the fruit exhibition moved to Menton’s streets the next year, replete with orange and lemon-decorated market carts. Later, the town decided to combine its festival with fruit displays to create a unique event in an attempt to boost tourism, and the maiden official Fête du Citron was held in 1934.

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Every year, the festival has a different subject; previous themes include “The Lemon and the Sea” (1971), “A Walk Through Menton’s History” (1978), “Wonders of the World” (1988), and “Menton Goes to the Movies” (2010). The theme for 2024 is “From Olympia to Menton.” As the celebration flavored with citrus unfolds, the road to Paris gears up for the multi-sport extravaganza.

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